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“I promise I don’t bite,” Foster says, stepping closer to me and lightly tracing his finger along the inside of my wrist.
Light sparks tickle across my skin, a streak of blue zaps across the sky, and the rain picks up even more.
Rolling his eyes, Easton slides into the back seat with Max. “His flirting skills suck,” he whispers to Max. “I think we really might need to give him some lessons.”
Foster lets out an exhausted sigh.
I step to the side, putting some space between us then meet his intense gaze. “I don’t trust you,” I feel the need to say. “At all.”
He forcefully smashes his lips together, and lightning blazes across the sky. “I know I said you weren’t safe with us and we wouldn’t protect you, but I was lying. We—I won’t ever hurt you.”
I lift a brow. “You mean hurt me again?” The moment the words leave my lips, I instantly regret them.
A crease forms between his brows. “When did I hurt you?”
Can he seriously not remember? Or maybe he thinks his rejection didn’t affect me? If that’s the case, maybe I should just play this off before I end up embarrassing myself.
“Nothing. Never mind.” I move to get in the car, but he enfolds his fingers around my arm.
“No, seriously, I want to know,” he says, steering me back toward him.
Great. Why did I have to open my mouth?
Probably because I’m high and not thinking very clearly.
Maybe that’s why I say, “When I approached you at the auto shop, you were a dick and it hurt my feelings. And you’ve been a dick pretty much every time you’re around me, up until you found out what I am. So, I know the only reason you’re being civil to me right now is because I’m the only person—creature—whatever the heck I am—you can be in a relationship with. At least, I think that’s what’s going on … I didn’t hear the entire conversation.” I bite down on my tongue as Foster’s eyes widen.
“You heard that?” he whispers, horrified.
I lift a shoulder. “It’s kind of why I took off.”
His lips curve downward. “You shouldn’t have found out that way.”
“Well, I did, so …” I swallow hard. “Is that why Grey passed out when he kissed me?”
Foster gives a slight nod, his gaze relentlessly dissecting me.
My heart rate quickens, and so does the intensity of the rain. “Will that happen every time someone tries to kiss me?”
He nods again, remorse and anguish flashing across his face as lightning illuminates in the sky. “And if you get too close to someone, your powers will end up killing them.” His throat muscles work as he swallows hard. “It’s the curse of being an elemental enchanter.”
While I had my suspicions before, hearing him say it aloud makes my mind dizzy and my stomach churn.
“So, what? We just spend our existence alone?” I whisper, my voice getting drowned out by the rain. Still, he somehow manages to hear me. Perhaps because, in a way, we’re part of the rain.
“Not necessarily …” Heavy reluctance seeps from his tone.
I shake my head, backing away. “Nope. I’m not just going to be with you because you’re the only person I can be with.”
Thunder booms, the street starts to flood, and lampposts flicker as the wind howls.
Great. My emotions are all over the place. If I’m not careful, a storm is going to blow through and rip the town apart.
Taking a deep breath, I steady my voice. “I’m not going to be with someone who treated me like shit and who only decided to like me because I’m the only person he can be with. I’d rather be alone.”
He blinks fiercely against the rain as he shuffles toward me, his breath fogging out from his lips. His nearness makes something shift inside me, and the heat in my veins decreases.
“I’m sorry I treated you like shit, but I never didn’t not like you.” His voice is soft despite the rising and crashing of his chest as he breathes raggedly. Around us, the rain morphs into light, fluffy snowflakes, and the water covering the street freezes, making the area one big ice skating rink. But Foster seems oblivious to the fact that either him or me—maybe both—have turned the entire town into a winter wonderland. “I just had to act that way … with almost everyone.”
